


The Order of the Phoenixes

by AnotherDropOfPoison



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:35:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29024343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnotherDropOfPoison/pseuds/AnotherDropOfPoison
Summary: Just before the start of fifth year and Harry is already having problems without even being back to school. Severus too is under pressure, having to deal with the return of Voldemort and his spying job for Dumbledore.Neither of them is aware of what has already started and will soon impact them but one thing is sure, nothing will ever be the same. Change is coming for them and the wizarding world.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Severus Snape
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> 27/01/21  
> Dear Readers,  
> This work is my first fanfiction ever. It's also the first time I write a story in English which is not my native language. I am still writing it and it is a work in progress but I will post the first four chapters as they are equivalent to the prologue before waiting for the rest of the story. I am looking for betas who would like to help me with this story by checking the grammar, giving me some vocabulary or looking at the general consistency of the story.  
> I hope you will enjoy it!

Harry was having a bad day. In fact he had had only bad days since he had been left once again at the Dursleys. The end of the year had been hard and this was saying a lot considering how each year was a mess since he had started Howgarts. After finally coming to the end of the third task in the Triwizard tournament he had been forced to participate in, Harry had been transported by an unforeseen Portkey to a cemetery in order for Pettigrew to use him in a ritual to relive his Master. What happened afterwards had been a great mix of terror, adrenaline of the fight and anguish when Harry had seen Cedric die and then his parents as blurry grey figures by his side to support him during his duel with Voldemort. Followed a hastily made retreat, grabbing Cedric lifeless body and being transported back to the joyful crowd awaiting their arrival. At this point Harry wasn’t in the right state to clearly realize what was happening around him. He only knew that he had been left broken from the impact of the events, barely able to comprehend what took place at the cemetery as people were already interrogating him. 

The end of the school year came down with a crash and there had been no time for Harry to get better before he was once again on the express. He was grateful for the fact that Mr Weasley talked to the Dursleys, telling them that Harry was to be left alone. Dealing with his poor excuse of a family had been the last thing on his mind at the time but as the summer passed he started craving distractions. He kept seeing scenes from the cemetery, again and again and being alone didn’t help. At night he wasn’t sleeping, nightmares and visions of Voldemort and DeathEaters keeping him awake. It had started the first day he had been back to his family house and Harry couldn’t really decipher what was real from what wasn’t but he knew in him that what he was seeing wasn’t only coming from his imagination. He refused to believe himself able to dream of gory torture scenes and long DeathEaters meeting. There was one thing he remarked, some of the dreams he had he was like a ghost floating around, a simple spectator, some other he was acting as someone, moving with this person body, and to make it even more horrible this was Voldemort he was dreaming of being. During the days he was usually half conscious, his body heavy from the lack of sleep and his mind fuzzy. This particular day, a week before the start of the new school year, Harry decided to take a walk. Maybe the fresh air would help dissipate the memories that were plaguing him. It was just after noon and he had munched on a sandwich that he had washed away with a glass of water fetched downstairs in the kitchen. His aunt had said nothing and just watched him prepare his sandwich has she cooked for lunch. That had been nearly the only good thing of the summer. Usually Harry had to cook breakfast and lunch, his aunt making a simple dinner that the Dursleys ate in front of the TV. When Harry forgot cooking lunch the first time they had been angry and had punished him as they often did, locking him in his bedroom with no occupation and only a bottle of water and some old bread. The punishment didn’t worked, Harry still forgot as it slipped from his mind otherwise preoccupated. He still made breakfast for he was always awake two hours before the Durleys and he often found the act of making breakfast a clear break from his restless night and a good way to try to concentrate on the present. But lunch was now his aunt responsibility and Harry stayed away from them so as not to bothered by their remarks, using this time to take a nap, his exhausted brain shutting down for a few hours.

Getting up Harry switched his old and worn T-shirt with another old and worn one but with long sleeves that covered the scar left from the knife Pettigrew had used to draw his blood and also made a hidden place for the wand he never went out without. The scar on his arm wasn’t really a scar, more a wound, red and hot to the touch. Blood still appeared sometimes and the pain radiating from it went trough is whole arm. Harry had tried to bandage it often so as not to get an infection but for today the long sleeves would do. Careful with his left arm when getting it through the sleeve he let a little smile appear on his face when he saw another scar on his body. This one scar was one he could never forget and found kind of beautiful in its own way. On his right arm, near the elbow it was a small round scar with a golden rune sketched inside and made a memento of the time Harry had been stabbed by the Basilisk fang and then healed by Fawkes tears. At the time Harry had been sure he would die. The rune was small and intricate, glowing gently with the light of the sun. Letting his sleeve fall and cover it he wiped a hand trough his hair and went down. When he passed the kitchen he saw Petunia washing the dishes and could hear Vernon grumbling in the sofa. Dudley was surely outside has he often went out to see his gang of friends. Harry said nothing and just opened the door and went out. He walked on the side of the road, kicking rocks, for some time and ended up at the playground. Sitting down on the swings and gently rocking himself on his heels he started feeling better. Maybe his bad day could end up being good.

As soon as the thought came to his mind the peace of the place was destroyed by Dudley and his gang entering the playground and laughing loudly. In the instant Harry gathered his wand in his right hand from where it had been hidden by the sleeve. He knew he couldn’t use it but he could show it discreetly to his cousin. Since his different encounters with magic Dudley had been a little frightened by it and when he saw Harry’s wand he usually left him alone in fear of what could happen to him. As the loud teenagers came near him Harry let the tip of it appear and Dudley soon ordered his friends to leave them. They did reluctantly, promising Harry that one day they would get him and teach him his right place. Harry answered nothing in return, knowing it was futile to talk to teenager bullies about how he had already faced death a few time and how their threats looked more like empty promises then something that could really teach Harry his place. The silence that followed was heavy as neither Harry nor his cousin wanted to talk to the other. In the end, after ten minutes passed, Harry grew bored and frustrated. His hard found interior peace had been destroyed, now he was left angry and miserable again. He got up and took the way back, his cousin following behind, still silent. To avoid taking the road again and risking another brush with Dudley’s stupid friends, Harry chose to go trough the tunnel. Once inside the sound of their feet on the concrete was oddly amplified by the resonance and gave an eerie feeling to the place. It was an unusual sound and Harry started to suspect something wasn’t right when the air became cold, a mist starting to form. Harry recognized the feeling that came just after. It was one he had felt all third year, since the first day on the train. It was the cold of death and despair that surrounded the Dementors. It made all his hairs stand and goosebumps appear on his skin. He shivered. Behind him Dudley uttered a tiny moan of terror, just a small squeak, as two Dementors emerged from the mist. With careful and controlled movements Harry signed to him to keep silent and griped his wand more firmly. He hoped they would leave because if they stayed Harry would have no choice but to make a patronus. This meant using his wand. His prayer wasn’t answered and the Dementors kept coming nearer and nearer. When they started sucking dark strands of mist out of Dudley Harry acted and cast the charm as strong as he could. He had to force himself to think of something good and not the depressives thoughts he lately had in his mind. The stag finally appeared and jumped in front of the Dementors, charging with his antlers. Soon enough they where chased and his patronus came back to him before vanishing in the air. The mist had also dissipated and all was normal again as if nothing had happened, expect the fact that Harry was still brandishing his wand and Dudley was now sobbing quietly.  
“- You should hid your wand again Harry. It wouldn’t be good if a Muggle saw it”, said a voice coming behind them, making Harry jump towards it in reflex.  
He put his wand back in his sleeve has he recognized Ms. Figgs, the old neighbor lady who had a lot of cat and used to babysit him when he was little. The implication of what she said was slowly coming to his mind.  
“- You are a witch?” Asked Harry incredulously.  
The old lady said nothing as she took chocolate out of her pocket and offered it to Harry and Dudley who jumped on it as a dying man in the desert would jump on water. She offered him a condescending glance and turned to Harry.  
“- I don’t understand how Dementors could come here. What is the Ministry doing?” She said in a chipper voice. “And no, I am not a witch but a squib. That does not mean I don’t know about the wizarding world and the fact that you just used a patronus charm. Congratulation by the way, it was a beautiful and really powerful one. I would have been delighted to see him if not for the reason you had to do it. And also the fact that this could become a problem for you, having used your wand while under-aged.”  
As she continued talking she gestured them to follow her and when Dudley looked at her, seemingly lost, she gave him another piece of chocolate. To make him occupied or for bribery, Harry didn’t know. When they arrived in front of 4th Privet Drive Harry concluded that in fact, today had been a bad day.

Miles away someone else was having a bad day too. Since the moment the Potter brat had came back with a corpse and Severus had felt the Mark burn on his left arm the sour potion Master life had taken a turn for the worst. And it hadn’t even been good before.  
Just as Albus had predicted the mistakes of his past had came to life once again, coming back to haunt him. With his arm now burning Severus had left to see his old master as soon as he could, just after Albus had told him with a curt order to come see him and report once it was done. What awaited him was a creature more snake than human and what was still left of the human part wasn’t really sane. Severus had been Crucioed as punishment for not being here for the rebirth of Lord Voldemort, then he had been congratulated for having keep his job in Hogwarts. After he had to suffer half an hour of Voldemort grandiloquent speech about his greatness and all his talking about plans for the future of the wizarding world while staying prostrated on the floor, his muscles twitching from the after effects of the Crucios and his nerves on fire. When it finally came to an end the Dark Lord had told him to lift his head and listen.  
“- My dear Severus, the sibilants heavy coming with a hint of Paselltongue, as one of the greatest potion Masters I am sure that you will be able to solve the problem I am currently faced with with efficiency.”  
Severus already knew that he wasn’t going to like what was coming and had cursed silently to himself. Why had he ever saw a great leader in this man? But all things said Severus seemed to have a really bad intuition when choosing a leader. Once he stopped being disillusioned by what the DeathEaters had to offer, shortly before the Potters were killed, he had tried to find another man to follow. One that would be worth of his loyalty. Albus Dumbledore, leader of the Light and a lot of other great things should have been a good choice. At first it had been, just for a few short days of respite. Long enough to make Severus hope for a better life. Then it all became even more difficult as he was forced to spy in exchange of the offered protection, having to keep on being a DeathEaters and playing the loyal one while he was taking back information to the enemy. He had wanted help, hoping to find an exit from his difficult choice in life but he only received more burdens.

Severus was once again berating himself for his stupidity. His summer could be resumed in few words, potions, spying, torturing, being tortured. He didn’t know which one of the last two was worst. The job Voldemort had given him was to make potions for DeathEaters to use in order to help in their task but also for the Dark Lord himself who was having some difficulties with the consequences of his rebirth. The man was sick, for lack of better words, and as he loathed being seen as weakened he punished his DeathEaters even more cruelly. Hence why Severus was brooding in misery, his body feeling decades older with all the cramps he had from the Crucios. There was barely a week before he had to go back to Hogwarts and prepare for the start of the school year. He would have no time to rest and try to get healthier. Throwing some crushed beetles in his cauldron he waited for the mixture to stop bubbling and go back to a simple and low simmering. He hadn’t found a cure good enough for Voldemort and was reduced to make a Pepper up potion mixed with a variance of Hangover cure and a general AntiVenom. It was vile, smelled horrible and the fumes were so thick that it left a deposit on his skin he had to rub hard under the shower to take off. His skin itched from all the scrubbing. While starting the stirring step that followed the addition of the beetles he was contemplating the test sheet he would give to all students the first day back in class and found a little bit of joy in the fear he knew he would see pictured on the faces of all of them. He had never done test sheet this early on the year before as it usually took a week for him to be angry enough to give surprise test. But maybe with this the students would keep quiet and pay attention in class for once. It was with this hopeful thought that Severus went back to his cauldron, having finished the hundred and twenty two stirs clockwise.


	2. Chapter 2

As trouble tended to do with Harry, it came to him, two days after the Dementors attack, in the shape of Mr Weasley and Alastor Moody better known as Mad Eye Moody. They knocked once on the door and waited anxiously, seeing only incidentals houses all around with their proper garden and white little fences. An attack here would be surprising but one never knows. When Petunia opened the door she nearly shrieked and the only thing making her keep quiet was the fact that the people in the house in front of theirs were outside and observing with curiosity the strange people standing in front of her door. It was better to stay calm, hurry and make the two men enter then to let them outside for all to see. She quickly closed the door behind them and called for her nephew twice.

Harry was awaken from his mid day nap by his aunt calling him and was surprised by seeing the two wizards standing in the entrance once he went down. Moody looked like he was twitching, his eye spinning madly in its socket and his hands gripping tightly his cane, as if someone was going to jump and try to take it away, which was surely the last thing that could happen in the Durleys house. Next to him Arthur Weasley was unmoving, more like a statue.  
“- Hello Mr Weasley, Professor,” said Harry while pushing his glasses on his nose, blinking to erase the last of his sleepiness.  
He knew for a fact that calling Moody Professor was kind of stupid, the man having been inside his trunk all school year, but it was the face Harry had seen in DADA class, talking about the Unforgivables and he wasn’t going to forget it this soon.  
“- Harry, how are you?” Asked Mr Weasley with a smile.  
“- Uhm, good,” answered Harry, the sentence ending more like a question than an answer. “What are you doing here?”  
Harry was supposed to stay for five more days before going to join the Weasleys for a shopping trip to Diagon Alley and going with them to the train station the day after. The fact that Mr Weasley was here early wasn’t looking like anything good, even if Harry was grateful for the visit.  
In front of him Arthur hesitated. He was holding a letter in his hand that he crushed nervously. He hated having to say bad news.  
“- Well Harry, a letter arrived, for you, from the Ministry. It didn’t really arrived, as Dumbledore took it with him, but the fact is it concerns you and you should read it.”  
The explanation was vague to say the least and Harry carefully took the letter, seeing that it had already be opened and took out the parchment inside. He knew he had it coming but it still didn’t feel great to read about your expulsion from school, few days before the start of the year, for underage use of magic. There was also a convocation to the Ministry for a hearing for the explanation of the situation which resulted in the use of his wand and the confiscation of his wand that would follow. The notice stated that it would later be destroyed once the hearing passed. Gulping down his anxiety and fear Harry lifted his head and tried to learn more about the situation from the two wizards who came to get him. Mr Weasley was clenching his hand nervously even if it was now empty and Moody was more difficult to read but his body radiated anger, magic gathering in the air around him. Neither was speaking.  
“- I’ll go get my things then, I suppose,” said Harry, already going up the stairs.  
The only answer he got was a nod from Mr Weasley.  
In his bedroom Harry took only a few minutes to put his things back in his trunk. His wand was already in his sleeve, hidden, and he only had Hedwige’s cage to bring with him in supplement. After a quick goodbye towards his aunt, uncle and cousin who was sitting in the sofa the furthest away from the door, hiding from the two wizards and trying not to make it too obvious, Harry left. He walked up the street after Mr Weasley, Moody who had reducted Harry trunk’s and the cage for him, following them behind. They stopped under a bus stop hidden by some trees and Mr Weasley gestured him to come closer.  
“- Come here Harry, I will apparate us closer to our destination. It might be a little bit disconcerting at first but make sure to keep your hand on my arm and everything will be good.”  
Mr Weasley took his hand, put his on his forearm and then with a crack they disappeared from their location only to appear again between two old house made of bricks. Harry had to put his hands on his knees to avoid falling down from the dizziness he felt. He was also hoping really hard that his meager lunch would stay inside his stomach. He only had a minute or two before Mr Weasley guided him in the street. Next to them was Moody, disillusionnated so as to not gather attention with his odd look. Looking around Harry failed to recognized the place. He wanted to ask but they were already coming to a stop in front of two identical house, the same type he had seen all around, and Mr Weasley was giving him a small piece of parchment. Intrigued Harry took it and read what was written. The House of Black is located 12 Grimmauld Place. Wondering what it meant he open his mouth to ask but a rumbling sound halted him and attracted his attention towards what was happening in front of his eyes. A new house was becoming visible where there had only been a minuscule between two houses before, appearing more and more as if it pushed out the other houses to take its place in the middle of them.

“- Welcome to Headquarters,” said Arthur, smiling at Harry awed expression.  
He was impressed. A tall house of three stories stood in front of him made of grey bricks and with a big black wooden door. High windows were covered by curtains, making it impossible to see inside the house from the street. Mr Weasley pushed him with a hand on his back and Harry moved forward. Inside the house Harry had not time to look around before he was assaulted by the rest of the Weasley family and Hermione who was with them.  
“- Oh Harry, I heard about what happened, and it shouldn’t be possible for them to do this. They can’t kick you out of school, how could you ever get an education without staying at Hogwarts. You know I started doing research for you, just in case,” was saying Hermione in her usual rapid rhythm, the one she used when stressed, from his right side.  
“- Harry, is that you dear? Come in, you have to eat something,” called Mrs Weasley from the kitchen sounding concerned for his daily food intake just as always.  
“- Hey little brother  
\- Welcome  
\- To hell”  
Intoned Fred and Georges with identical mischievous grins while singing a funeral march.  
Ron was behind them smiling at Harry from the stairs and Ginny was coming down to.  
“- Hey everyone,” Harry said with a little bit of enthusiasm.  
He was glad to see them but it would have been better if it was under more favorable conditions and he couldn’t muster enough joy to make his voice sound less strained.  
“- Gimme your things Harry, I’ll put them in the bedroom,” Ron told him just as Mrs Weasley was once again calling Harry to the kitchen. You’ll better go see mom, she’s been anxious since we learned about the letter from the Ministry.  
Letting himself be guided to the kitchen Harry was forcefully sat at the table in front of a plate of biscuits, all still warm. Mrs Weasley kissed his cheeks and told him to eat, that it would do him good.  
“- Are you eating enough at home, you look terrible, she asked while poking his arms.”  
The familiar grumbling and puttering was like a welcome for Harry and he relaxed a little bit the content of the letter being pushed in the back of his mind. Here he was safe and surrounded by friends and family that would help, he was sure. He could worry later.  
After having eaten two biscuits, the rest disappeared in Ron stomach as soon as he came down and sat next to him, Harry went to the library to find Hermione. She was sitting on the floor, books open all around her and muttering under her breath, too low to be understandable.  
“- Just in time!” She exclaimed once she saw them. “Come, hurry, I have a lot to say.” She pointed to the floor in the only space next to her that hadn’t been invaded by books. When the boys were installed she started explaining to Harry all the things she had read about underage use of magic and expulsion from Hogwarts. After near an hour of talking she stopped abruptly, having exhausted all the knowledge accumulated on the subject.  
“- What we can conclude is that you can do nothing for now and will have to wait for the hearing. You will be alone with only your guardian, I think that it will be Dumbledore, to explain what happened to the Ministry officials. It shouldn’t be a big thing as you didn’t really break the Statute of Secrecy. They should let it go easily for it was an occurrence of self-defense.”  
All theses information were still being assimilated by Harry so he only said yes to show that he had heard it all as he knew from Hermione tone and hours and hours of lecture that it was the only answer you could give to her. Next to him Ron had an unfocused sight, a clear sign that he had already heard all of it more than once, she had obviously forced him to research with her, and was now lost in his mind, surely thinking about quidditch from the smile he had. Harry looked at them and was happy for the fact that his friends looked like they had a great summer. He was sure that they would tell him all about it soon enough. It was their tradition as Harry couldn’t send them owl post during the holidays. They sat together with sweets and chatted about their break to each other.  
“- Don’t worry, everything will be alright,” she assured him once more when she meet his gaze.

Soon enough it was time for dinner and even if you could feel lingering trace of anxiety it was a loud and chaotic meal, as always when one eat with the Weasley family.  
Right after all the plates where licked clean Molly shooed them away, telling them that they should be good kids and go occupy themselves. They all went to Ron and Harry bedroom and started updating Harry on what he had missed of the summer events. He learned that Fred and Georges had their apparition license as they demonstrated as soon as they told him, jumping from one place to the next without moving.  
“- Mom had to punish them because they were having too much fun in the house with it,” said Ginny with a laugh when both boys landed on the bed in a pile of limbs.  
“- What is this House exactly,” asked Harry after some time. Nobody had explained it to him and he was a little lost about were he was.  
“- This his Sirius place. It is the house where he lived as a child, the ancestral house of the Blacks and he inherited it as everyone else died or is married,” answered Hermione. From her voice he knew she had quizzed Sirius on it.  
“- I didn’t think he had a house like that,” said Harry while remembering how it had looked from outside. Old but menacing, it inspired power and respect. “How is he?” He asked expectantly.  
“- You will surely see him after the meeting, he was exited to see you again,” said Ron in answer.  
“- Meeting?” Harry was staring to feel like a parrot.  
“- Meeting of the Order of the Phoenix,” Georges told him.  
“- A secret order made of the defenders of the light,” continued his twin.  
“- And how do we know this little brother?” Was said with a teasing voice.  
“- Because we are wonderful and we spied on them!” Finished Fred with a flourish.  
“- But your fantastical spying devices were taken down by a simple cat,” sassed Ron  
“- Crookshank isn’t a simple cat,” tried to argue Hermione, “he is half Kneazzle.”  
When all the bantering stopped and the pillows that had started being thrown in the fight that ensued fell to the floor with a small thud, Harry once again asked a question.  
“- And what exactly is this Order of the Phoenix?”  
Hermione straightened in a clear indication that another well researched full explanation was coming up.  
“- The Order of the Phoenix is a group of vigilantes founded by Dumbledore during the first war. It is named after an old legend of a group of people made by a phoenix who protected the wizarding world and its inhabitants. Those in the Order fought for the light and believed in the victory against Voldemort. Sadly a lot of them died or became disabled such as your parents, she said with a sad smile, or Neville’s. Sirius told us that Dumbledore called the old members and started the meetings again now that Voldemort is back.”  
“- Yay, Bill moved back to England with Fleur and they are working at Gringotts. They also are new members of the Order,” said Fred.  
“- And Charlie too but he is still in Romania.”  
“- And you will never know who joined at the same time as them,” said Ron with eyes wide open, trying and failing to appear serious and important.  
The fact was, Harry already knew. During the summer he had had visions and had seen a lot of what the DeathEaters did but also Snape reportorting to Voldemort. The potion professor had talked about how Dumbledore trusted him and had invited him to join a group of light defenders. With the way he had presented it it appeared to be a small group of people that mainly talked about what they could do but did nothing in the acting of their ideas. A group to keep an eye on but not that much threatening. With what Harry just learned he had understood that Snape had joined the Order but had also given inaccurate information to Voldemort. The man really was a mystery, never acting like Harry expected him to be and never revealing his true motives.  
“- What do I get if I guess right?” Challenged Harry.  
Next to him, seated on the floor the twins applauded his move. It was worthy of their silent partner to be as cunning as them when there was something to gain.  
“- My stash of Chocolate frog, said Ron, indicating with a move of his head the bag that was on his bed.”  
This was a great bet and a good win for Harry.  
“- I would say, Professor Snape,” he deliberately made his voice uncertain.  
Ron mouth fell open at Harry right answer and Harry laughed gleefully.  
“- Those, he said pointing to the bag,” are mine now.  
“- How did you know? How could you guess right!” A flustered Ron interjected.  
“- My little pinky”, answered Harry which made all of them laugh.  
“- How lively,” a baritone voice said from the door, a hint of a laugh inside.  
“- Sirius!”  
Harry jumped and hugged his godfather. The man was still too thin and his eyes were circled by purple shadows but he was still in a better shape than Harry third year when he had just escaped from Azkaban.  
“- Hey pup, how are you? I heard about the Ministry convocation so I had to come see you,” said Sirius, circling his arms around Harry.  
“- I’m good,” mumbled Harry against Sirius chest. “What did you do during the holidays?” He asked, changing the subject.  
“- I’ll tell you more about it tomorrow, for now I have to go back to the meeting” Sirius said, walking backward towards the stairs.  
The rest of the night Harry talked with Ron and Hermione then it was time to go to sleep. Laying in his bed Harry listened to the odd sounds and creaks coming from the house and Ron snores. He couldn’t find sleep but it was a habit now so he stayed in his bed and tried not to think to much of what would happen at the Ministry for his convocation to the hearing in two days.


	3. Chapter 3

Harry was standing in the corridor, outside of Courtroom ten. For once he was grateful that he slept so little now has he had went down to take his breakfast so early that nobody was awake and Mr Weasley had also risen soon after him resulting in an early departure to the Ministry. It allowed them to still be in time even if the time of the hearing had been pushed half an hour before what had been written on the convocation. When Mr Weasley colleague had warned them, just as they were sitting down in Arthur’s office, they had left in hurry, jogging through the different Departments to find the convocation place and check that it hadn’t been changed. As it was it had been changed too and now Harry was alone, Mr Weasley could only go as far as the entrance of the floor where the Courtroom were situated. 

When the door opened nobody came to get him so he entered. With surprise he realized that this courtroom was the one he had saw in the memories Dumbledore had showed him of Barty’s trial in his pensieve. Moreover, instead of the few Ministry officials he was supposed to be dealing with he was faced by the entire Wizengamot. All of them sitting solemnly in their prune colored robes. He was so disappointed that Hermione couldn’t be with him as she would have distracted him by telling him facts about the Wizengamot, how it worked, since when it existed, why they were wearing prunes robes. Instead only silence greeted him and then Cornelius Fudge, the Minister, told him to seat down. Feeling much like a criminal from this treatment, Harry sat and listened to Fudge, who was acting as the leader here, declaring the trial of Harry Potter now open. The use of the word trial made Harry panic. This was supposed to be a simple hearing, more like a formality were Harry would explain what happened instead of being brought to court and having to defend himself from accusations. This was what Tonks, the daughter of Sirius disowned cousin, had said. She worked as an Auror and knew about this type of procedures. She was also one of the knew members of the Order. Just like Hermione had said, she had told him that it was allowed to use underage magic in life threatening situations and he wouldn’t be jailed for what he had done. Harry didn’t understand how it had became a trial instead of just some formalities like it should have been. 

Fudge was accounting the events and charges against Harry in a boring voice so he occupied himself by watching Percy, who was acting as the scribe. The twins hadn’t told him that first night that Percy had self exiled from the family. It was only after Harry asked them about it that they explained. Percy considered Harry dangerous and even if he didn’t believed him to be an attention-seeking-liar like how Skeeter said in her Daily Prophet article, he still thought that Harry claiming to have seen Voldemort and coming back at the end of the final task with a body was reason enough to get away from him. He had tried to make the rest of his family understand but in the end the Weasley stayed by Harry side. Percy was now very obviously making his point by never looking at Harry who took it as a challenge to try and cross his line of sight. There was another distraction in the Courtroom and it was Dolores Umbrige, Fudge Undersecretary. She could only be described as the human version of a toad. Short with round eyes and a voice so high and falsely sweet it made you want to vomit, the whole thing was made even more abominable by her attire. Dressed in pink only, and bright saccharine pink, not a beautiful rose color, she had managed to use three different shades for her dress, her cardigan and the bow on top of her hair and it all clashed horribly color wise.  
Fudge asked a question that made Harry focus once again on the trial.  
“- Do you agree with what has been said and if not can you tell us what happened.”  
Even if Harry hadn’t listened he knew that their version wouldn’t be the same as his own so he started explaining.  
“- I was outside with my muggle cousin. We were going home when Dementors appeared in the tunnel we took. I realized that they were feeding from his emotions so as an act of defense for me and my cousin, who could do nothing against Dementors, I used my wand to make a Patronus.”

Harry had tried to expose the facts as clearly as possible and summarize it but his explanation wasn’t enough for the Wizengamot as they started asking questions about how Dementors end up in Little Whining. They called Harry a liar, saying that telling everyone Voldemort was back hadn’t been enough for him and now he was lying again. Harry could clearly hear direct quotes from the Prophet articles that had been printed all summer, degrading him and questioning his sanity.  
Just when things were starting to go bad the door opened with a bang that had surely been heard in all the Department. It shut everyone mouth and then, in the silence his great entrance had made, Dumbledore walked in the room, Ms. Figgs by his side.  
“- I have with me an eye witness about the apparition of Dementors in a Muggle city,” he declared with a loud voice.  
The way Fudge looked at Dumbledore was as if he was silently making incantations in hope for the Headmaster of Hogwarts to spontaneously combust. It nearly made Harry laugh combined with the relief that fell on him now that Ms. Figgs could be a witness. After this the trial was short lived. When Fudge closed the session people from the Wizengamot came down, looking at Harry curiously. Others greeted Dumbledore but Fudge coming towards him made them all go away. The two men started exchanging, Fudge looking angry, but Harry could only hear some parts of what was said.  
“- You will not always be here… Hogwarts situation is deplorable… Ministry will act…Spreading lies...”  
Dumbledore easily closed the discussion with a loud ‘good day Minister’ and a spin towards Harry.  
“- My boy, come with me, I will take you back,” he ordered.  
Harry obeyed and followed Dumbledore out of the Ministry buildings and on the streets. With a firm grip on his arm Dumbledore guided him to a corner hidden between a house and a garden with lot of trees and apparated them inside Grimmauld Place.  
“- How are you feeling Harry?” He asked in a jovial tone, taking a box of Sherbet Lemons from his pocket and opening it for Harry to take one.  
“- I have some problems with sleep,” Harry admitted reluctantly after sucking for a few minutes on the candy.  
“- Nightmares? I am sorry to hear that Harry and I hope the presence of your friends will help.”  
“- It’s more than that sir, it’s like I’m seeing things instead of someone else. Seeing things I shouldn’t see.”  
Dumbledore frowned but said nothing.  
“- We will talk about it once you are back to school,” he said producing from his pocket a familiar envelope. It was Harry list for the school year. There are a few days left, it should suffice to buy all the things needed.  
With a big smile Harry took the envelope and thanked the Headmaster. Their exchange finished Harry went to the kitchen to celebrate with the people still there and to tell all the things he had seen to his friends.


	4. Chapter 4

School had started again and just as he had decided Severus gave a test sheet to all the years group as a welcoming gesture for the first class. It really was a good way to start the year and even knowing there would be a mountain of tests to grade wasn’t enough to make it a bad decision. It was now two weeks after the start of school and Severus hadn’t had a single DeathEaters assembly to go to. His moral was good but it was slowly getting down. The night before Dumbledore had convoked him and told him that Severus was tasked with teaching Occlumency to Harry Potter. This was a plan doomed to fail as the animosity between them was crystal clear and so high that nobody could ignore it. Occlumency was a difficult thing to learn. It required patience, concentration and finesse, all things Potter lacked. Having to teach him more than potion on top of ensuring his safety was too much in Severus opinion. He had a great dislike for the boy because of the memories he made Severus remember. Bad memories of being bullied by four Gryffindors, their leader bearing to much similitude with his son for Severus to be able to ignore them. There were also the good ones of Lily from the color of her eyes she had given to the child but it was tainted by the knowledge that in the end Severus had failed her and had never apologized for their broken friendship. Those were some of the reasons Severus did not want to teach Harry Potter Occlumency. There was also the fact that Severus had very little time between his job as a professor and Head of House, the tasks Dumbledore gave him, the Order meetings and business, the DeathEaters assemblies and the Dark Lord exigences that required his work. He would need to cut what little time he had left for himself and use it to teach Potter.

The class of fifth year Gryffindors and Slytherins had apparently picked on his mood as they all tried to be silent and careful in the preparation of their Morphing Potion. It was a difficult one that required precision in the stirring and a careful preparation of the numerous ingredients. At the front of the class his godson, Draco was already two stages ahead from the rest of the class, his ingredients neatly cut and placed in order of incorporation next to his cauldron. Only Granger was at the same point, Weasley sitting besides and looking at her stupidly. He obviously hadn’t done much to help in the preparation and had just watched her do all the work. Maybe it was for the better as Granger, when working alone, didn’t make her potions explode or overflow and this wasn’t always the case for the Weasley boy, so Severus let it as it was instead of making him help his partner with a few scatting remarks. At the back of the class where usually the students that were doing poorly and who tried to make themselves invisible to avoid being seen by him and reprimanded quite forcefully. It was a stupid thing to do as Severus often walked down the aisle to oversee all the students working, going to the end of the class before turning back. What they didn’t know was that he had also placed some Eye witness charms on the wall. It was a really good one that allowed him to see what was happening from another point of view while still staying in the same place. He used it when seating at his desk for it was a really bad idea to use it while walking, it tended to make him dizzy and nauseous. Just has Severus stood and started walking towards Longbottom and Potter cauldron, it was bubbling to much and contained a brown sludge that was as far as possible from the clear purple they should obtain, he felt a stab of pain in his arm. The familiar burn of the mark halted his walk just for a second, enough for Longbottom cauldron to go out of control and explode. Severus hastily threw a containment charm to avoid its content landing everywhere and shouted a loud “Duck!’’ as Longbottom, frightened by the explosion, had let the bat wings powder he had made go up in the air. The inoffensive powder could do real damage when thrown, becoming a poisonous fog that attacked the eyes, but fortunately it took a few seconds before turning to fog and these few seconds were largely enough for Severus to use a stasis charm on them to halt their turning and by this avoiding all of his class a future as blind people. Deciding that this was enough he vanished the mess still in the cauldron.  
“- Longbottom, Potter, another failure,” he drawled. “Go and clean your table while your fellow students finish their potion. And ten points from Gryffindor each for trying to destroy the classroom with your carelessness.”  
There were only five minutes left before the end of the class and Severus watched as the students tried to pour their potion in the vial they would leave at his desk for marking. Back to his seated position Severus took out a piece of parchment from a drawer. Dumbledore had given it to him and he used it to write messages to the Headmaster when he hadn’t the time to tell him. The messages disappeared from his sheet as soon as his quill left the paper but would be visible by Dumbledore on his own piece. Each teacher had one but Severus messages were often quite different from what his colleagues would write as he also informed Dumbledore of his other activities.  
-I have been called and will leave shortly, he wrote on the parchment.  
Which meant that as soon as the class ended Severus would leave to go to the DeathEaters assembly. It was a good thing that it was the last class of of his day, Voldemort hated it when people were late in answering his call.  
“- All the vials on my desk, clean up your place. I want you out of my class in five minutes.”  
His statement produced a flurry of movements but five minute later all the tables were cleaned and the ingredients back in the cupboard. He had done a good job in his discipline of the students.  
When the last one left Severus went to his office and from there to his quarters. Inside his rooms he changed his robes to ones more appropriated for a DeathEaters meeting. While still black the fabric was more light and they allowed him a wide range of movement but also they had places to put vials and weapons. He took a small indecipherable bag where his DeathEater’s cloak and mask were. With large strides he went out the castle and in the direction of the forest, appearing for all that could see him, as a potion Master pressed to find ingredients. In the forest he walked between the trees, seemingly going nowhere but soon he stood in the point where Dumbledore had twisted the wards so that he could apparate out of Hogwarts. He dressed up, adjusting the mask on his face, the cold of the metal helping him closing up his outside emotions and put his Occlumency shields higher just like they always were when going to see Voldemort.

When he arrived in the large room where the assemblies took place he was happy to notice that only half of the usual DeathEaters were here. It looked like Voldemort had called only those that were the most useful to him from his circle of trusted DeathEaters. They were around thirty as the core of the Inner circle was still in Azkaban. Goyle Senior and Rosier were already here and Severus went to kneel by their side, as close to the wall as possible. After a short while the Dark Lord entered, a pleased smile appearing on his face at the sigh of his loyal followers kneeling and waiting for him. He sat himself in the throne he had transfigured out an old chair and let his sharp gaze fall on them. He liked how his new more serpentine look made some of them quiver in fear.  
“- Selwyn your report,” was said with a cold voice.  
The man called out stood up and started talking about the shops and vendors he had visited in Knockturn alley. Some of them hadn’t wanted to give their merchandise to some of the people that could use them in the right way, meaning they didn’t want to sell it to DeathEaters. Selwyn had just made it clear to them that they should. He was known for being brutal.  
After a few more reports it was Severus turn and things were looking bad. The two reports before him had angered the Dark Lord and what he had to say wouldn’t be pleasant.  
“- As you surely know the Ministry had send an envoy to Hogwarts. Miss Umbridge is now the new DADA professor but she will also inspect each professor to make sure they go by the Ministry orders in the way they educate the children. After observation I deduced that she is firmly convinced that Potter is a liar and made up all he said about your return.”  
At this point he made a pause, hopping that the smile Voldemort made when hearing this information would stay on his face.  
“- She seems to hate me and would dearly enjoy seeing me kicked out of Hogwarts. She had told me so in an encounter just after requesting some potions that a ministry official shouldn’t be asking for. She had made it clear that she want them done and given to her before the end of them month and I am tied as to how I should deal with her. If the potions aren’t made she menaced of sacking me and I do think she could. Dumbledore thinks she has not enough power to do so and told me not to make any potion. If I still comply to her order, despite what Dumbledore said, I will have to do them here and wouldn’t be able to make the next batch of potion you ordered.”  
He stopped speaking, knowing with certitude that he wouldn’t walk out of this assembly unscathed.  
“- Severus, the tone of voice was glacial and full of anger. You failed to tell me any of this before and showed incompetency in dealing with a simple Ministry official.”  
At the end of the sentence Voldemort nearly shouted and Severus kept quiet. Trying to explain was only adding to the pain that would come, an early lesson he had learned and would never forget.  
“- Crucio.”

For half an hour Voldemort kept the Crucio on him, stopping only two times to gather his power and send a curse even more destructive.  
Severus could feel his consciousness starting to fade and he barely felt his body anymore. It was like pain was the only thing he had ever been and it kept coming onto him, crushing him. He was on fire from the inside, blood had started to escaped from his mouth were he had bitten his tongue and his retinas were being pushed and pulled, sending jolt of pain in his skull. He wished for the torture to end but knew it would only be the start of another hell. Once the curse was lifted if the victim had stayed more than five minutes under it, the pain seemed to double and stayed for days. When it finally ended he had to hold back the moan of pain that threatened to escape from his mouth and control his breath so as to only take short ones. His ribs were fractured and each breath was laborious. Severus gathered his energy and used all his will power to get to a kneeling position once more and stay conscious for the rest of the meeting. He didn’t know what was said, he could hear nothing else but a ringing. When all stood he followed and did the same. With careful steps he went outside of Riddle house and walked to the apparition point. Because of his slowness everyone had left before him. Just has he was coming to the point he felt someone at his back and the sharp of a blade enter his right arm, just below his elbow. Some bastard had stabbed him, taking profit of his weakness. While appareting he turned his head, trying to see who it was. If Severus survived he swore he would take revenge. For now he fell down on the leaves that covered the forest ground and closed his eyes. He was dying. The thought came to him, clear and sharp in contrast to the rest of his thinking made difficult by the pain. Hysteria threatened to overtake him but he shut it down and focused on finding a why to survive. It was pathetic how is whole life had just been a game for the his two masters to control as they wanted. Just like a pawn on a chess board he was moved between Dumbledore and Voldemort for their own pleasure and with no consideration for his integrity, safety and sanity. A pawn, like the poor Golden boy who had became a pawn in this deadly game at only one year old. Severus took a deep breath, feeling only agony and knowing it would be his last.  
Suddenly a flash made him open his eyes and even if he wasn’t seeing clearly he recognized the bird at his side. Fawkes was perched on Severus right arm and he could feel something other than blood being poured on the wound. He had taken the knife out before collapsing so it was now open and the blood was flowing freely. With a cry a sadness the phoenix let a final tear fall and took flight, leaving Severus behind. The potion Master stayed on the floor for longer than he would admit, realizing that his life had just been saved. With shaky legs he stood and walked in the dark of the night through the forest and towards the castle.

Harry, per usual, wasn’t sleeping. He had been feeling nauseous since the potion class and was quite sure some of the potion or ingredients had landed on him. When Snape had said to duck he had thrown himself, face first, right on the table just where the ingredients had been. He had took his school robe’s off, feeling too hot with the cauldron just beside him and the high fire under it. He had had only the small layer of his shirt to protect him from contact and it apparently hadn’t been sufficient from what he was now feeling. Controlling his breath he tried to relax but when the vision came he wasn’t surprised and watched once again as each DeathEaters made his report to their lord. Even without being there Harry could feel the tension inside the room from the way each of them were kneeling, their back straight, no words exchanged between people. He was sure Snape would have been delighted if his class were as calm and silent as this. Speaking about Snape, Harry could see him, in the front row. Even with his face hidden behind the silver mask and his body under the black cloak, he was easily recognizable, at least for Harry. Black hair falling on strong shoulders and surrounding a white neck were Harry could see some tendons roll under the skin. From all the meeting he had assisted to during the summer Harry could now recognize some of the DeathEaters. He knew the names, occupation and mission of half of the man gathered here and couldn’t help but notice the lack of woman. It showed once more Voldemort distorted vision of supremacy, putting Pureblood over Halfblood or MuggleBorns and men over women. In Harry own opinion it was a mistake to underestimate women. Examples of strong women were coming to his mind, Hermione, McGonagall, his own mother and Harry was persuaded that going against them was putting oneself at risk. What came next erased all thoughts from Harry mind. Snape was being tortured and Harry hated having to watch these scenes. He couldn’t escape the vision and had to keep on watching as Snape came closer and closer to a state where Harry was now wondering if he would survive. He didn’t like Snape but knowing that the man was a few moments away from dying shook him hard. Abruptly the vision faded away, leaving Harry out of breath, gazing at bed curtains. The red of them a strong reminder of the blood Harry had seen going down Snape chin. Some part of him was relieved that the images of torture had stopped but another part of Harry was anxious and feared for his potions professor life. Feeling like the whole room was closing up on him Harry got up. He was sweaty and unstable so trying to be as silent and quick as possible he gathered his shoes and his invisibility cloak. The map was somewhere in his trunk but searching for it would wake the other boys and he wanted to be alone. Silently Harry left the room, putting his cloak on before going down to the common room in case another Gryffindor was having insomnia. Years of habit allowed him to slip out of the Gryffindor’s guardian portrait, the fat lady, without waking her. Taking big strides he went downstairs with the goal of going outside guiding his steps. Fresh air and open space would make him feel less trapped.

Once outside he looked around and, after a few minutes, decided to walk a little more. Even while being invisible he wasn’t sure that staying in the open, in the middle of the grounds was a great idea so he went in the direction of the forest that wasn't too far. It was another forest that bordered the forbidden forest but was not as menacing and dangerous as the later. Space between the trees let the light of the moon fall towards the floor and the glow was making it appear harmless. Not feeling brave or stupid enough to go inside Harry opted for only staying near, a meter or two away from the first line of trees. He took some deep breath to chase away the anxiety and concentrated on the beautiful scenery instead of how Snape had looked like at the end of the vision. He had walked more then he had intended to do and he came to a stop beside an old stone arch he had never seen before. Just in front of it was a white rabbit, eating some grass. Carefully Harry approached, one step at the time. He was so focused on the small animal that he did not realize that someone else was coming and couldn’t avoid the collision that followed. A hard body knocked into him and the shout of pain the other man made let him know who it was. Before Harry could offer any kind of help or explanation he felt himself pass through the arch and fall, Severus hand that had gripped his arm in surprise when they had encountered each other didn’t left him.


End file.
